PHTLS - Prehospital Trauma Life Support Burns and Thermal Injuries Flashcards
6 cards from real PHTLS practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 6 PHTLS - Prehospital Trauma Life Support Burns and Thermal Injuries flashcards as text
A patient exposed to hydrofluoric acid has burns on both hands. After decontamination, which systemic toxicity must be anticipated?
Answer: Life-threatening hypocalcemia from fluoride ion binding
Fluoride ions penetrate tissue and bind systemic calcium, causing profound hypocalcemia that can produce fatal cardiac dysrhythmias even with small surface area burns.
What is the correct prehospital treatment for a patient with dry chemical burns to the skin?
Answer: Brush off the dry chemical before flushing with large amounts of water
Dry chemicals must be brushed off before water irrigation because adding water to some dry chemicals (e.g., sodium hydroxide) can produce an exothermic reaction that worsens injury.
Carbon monoxide poisoning may be missed by standard pulse oximetry. Why?
Answer: Standard pulse oximetry cannot distinguish carboxyhemoglobin from oxyhemoglobin
Standard pulse oximeters read carboxyhemoglobin as oxyhemoglobin, falsely displaying normal SpO2 values even when CO poisoning is severe.
For prehospital burn wound care, what is the recommended dressing approach for a large partial-thickness burn?
Answer: Cover with dry sterile dressings to reduce contamination and maintain warmth
Dry sterile dressings protect the wound from contamination, reduce evaporative heat loss, and avoid the hypothermia risk of moist dressings during prolonged transport.
A burn patient who was in a structure fire presents with altered mental status, cherry-red skin, and an SpO2 of 99%. What is the most likely diagnosis?
Answer: Carbon monoxide poisoning
Cherry-red skin, altered mental status, and falsely normal pulse oximetry in a structure fire patient are classic findings of severe carbon monoxide poisoning.
Which patient population is at greatest risk of underestimating fluid resuscitation needs in major burns according to PHTLS?
Answer: Patients with inhalation injury in addition to surface burns
Patients with concurrent inhalation injury have significantly greater fluid requirements than surface burns alone predict, and standard formulas underestimate their needs.
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